FERLAZZO: You can have any colour you want, as long as it's...

Henry Ford famously said, “A customer can have any colour... as long it’s black”, but it wasn’t because he was a sombre soul. Slow-drying oil-based paint was problematic in the early days of car manufacturing.

Colour pigments were expensive and tended to fade quickly. In the search for ways to simplify the process for mass production, Ford developed an asphalt-based enamel which pushed the palette to dark tones.

Technology soon overcame these issues and colour began to play an increasingly critical role in showroom appeal.

In the 1930s, the precursor to metallic paint was an expensive process that actually contained crushed fish-scales to create an iridescent effect. A more practical solution of aluminium flakes soon followed.

The post-war period of the 1950s saw a kaleidoscope of colour combinations, including pastel yellows, teals and even pinks. Metallics and two-tone paint schemes become hugely popular and set the scene for decades to follow.

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It’s unsurprising that white is the most popular colour, and a few pragmatic reasons come to mind.

During the muscle-car period of the 1970s, there were vibrant yellows, oranges and purples. They were contrasted with black or coloured stripes and graphics, creating a powerful statement of individuality. But where are they today?

It’s unsurprising that white is the most popular colour, and a few pragmatic reasons come to mind. Firstly, it’s absolutely neutral and requires no justification. It’s also the least expensive to produce and maintain, unless it’s a pearlescent variant. In hotter climates, white is an obvious choice.

Given many vehicles on the road are leased and operated by companies, white is the safe option for resale. Indeed, resale probably explains why all of the grey-scale colours are popular overall.

Most private buyers are often afraid to indulge in a vibrant colour for fear of a poor return on their investment. We are also too lazy to keep them clean.

Even when we do stray into the colour space, light to mid-metallic blues tends to be next most popular, but you wouldn’t call that daring.

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... the precursor to metallic paint was an expensive process that actually contained crushed fish-scales to create an iridescent effect.

Electric vehicles follow the same pattern, as there’s a perception that white, silver and blue are allied with technology and electrification.

However, we do see different results according to segment. Small cars offer more colourful options, as they are seen to be more youthful and playful whereas mid to large sedans and SUVs tend to be more serious and this is where we see the silvers and greys become dominant.

Modern paint technology has given these monotones a rich and lustrous look, which does make a car look luxurious, albeit bland.

Luxury cars are also predominantly silver or black, but they are also well-suited to deep and regal looking reds, blues and even greens. Vibrant colours on luxury cars are best reserved for American rappers or Saudi sheikhs.

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Sports cars are a different story and no prizes for guessing that red, orange and yellow are more popular here. Despite this, silver remains statistically more popular, but I suspect this can be attributed to the higher volume of German sports cars, which tend to be silver. More red Ferraris please! (Just wait until the Purosangue launches... - Ed.)

Carmakers have learned that the neutral, white and grey-scale palette is here to stay and accordingly will focus a lot of energy in developing rich finishes in this space.

But they will always add a few vibrant ‘hero’ colours which may only sell in very small numbers but serve a valuable role in attracting our attention on the road and hopefully draw us into the showroom. It’s then up to us to be brave enough to order the ‘Rainbow Sangria’ option over the ‘Vanilla Shake’.

Richard Ferlazzo is the former GM Holden Design Director